Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography has always been known for
bringing out pioneering projects in the field of dance. Recently, NIKC
has launched a series of performances under the successful leadership of
its current director Madhu Nataraj Kiran. Named as Kampni Kutcheri-
Chamber Concert Series, it takes place once every month at the
institute's dance space. Eminent musicians, dancers and theatre artists
come here to perform in Kampni Kutcheri. The Kutcheri is special in many
ways particularly in its traditional chamber concert like setup
extended to dance and theatre. This setup establishes a unique
connection between performers and spectators very similar in a way that
used to happen in temple dances of the ancient times.

One such occasion at 11th Kampni Kutcheri, 'A Million Sitas', a
contemporary dance theatre by Dr. Anita Ratnam based on the epic story
of Ramayana was to be performed that evening. The Kutcheri began with an
introductory video on what NIKC is. Keerthi Kumar, project head of
Natya STEM Dance Kampni, gave introduction on Kampni Kutcheri Series.
Madhu Nataraj Kiran introduced the artist for the
evening.

As Ahalya

As Manthara

As Surpanakha

There were two figures on either side of the performance space. One
among them was depicting Lord Rama and the other Ravana. As narrator,
Anita Ratnam started with stories describing the birth of Sita. The
presentation was woven around the stories of five well-known women
characters of the story, namely Mandodari, Ahalya, Manthara, Surpanakha
and of course Sita. Ahalya's character was portrayed using a long
greyish silver cloth, pointing to her transformation into stone.
Manthara, the root cause of Rama's exile, was depicted using the crushed
dailies wrapped around the performer's body. Dr. Ratnam mentioned
towards the end of the presentation that this particular concept was an
impromptu improvisation. The narration continued to land on the act of
insulting Surpanakha in a unique depiction. The performer wore a black
wavy dress, long nails and a Balinese headgear. The movements were slow,
steady and strong with a flavour of Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. The
character ends with a shrill cry after her nose and ears get cut.

Sita's story was narrated through, but she comes out as a distinct
character towards the end. Sita asks Rama for her justice. The
well-known "Sita kalyana vaibhogame" song was sung near Rama's ears with
a tinge of sarcasm. Then Dr. Ratnam comes out in a zulu wedding costume
holding a lamp in her hand. The performance ends with Sita's sorrow and
the injustice she has suffered being generalized to that of the women
of today's world.

The performance was a solo act using recorded music. It was in a single
stage setting without any entry or exit of the narrator from the stage
in between the presentation. A lot of symbolism went into the
performance which uncovered various facets of each character. The dance
theatre was choreographed with much movement but with slow and effective
build up of the characters. Music was in coherence with movements and
was mainly derived from south Asian folklore fused with western drums
and chords every now and then. In totality, it was more like a garland
of stories of five prominent women characters, the thread being the
story of Ramayana itself. In the interaction session after the
performance, Dr. Ratnam mentioned that the program also has an extended
version, which includes the way in which five decisions of Sita carries
the Ramayana story forward. Being a researcher herself in feminist
studies, Anita Ratnam beautifully brings out the subtle emotions and
questions that a woman experiences in the world.